So going on holiday with kids doesn’t necessarily mean returning rested and ready for the onslaught of a full year ahead. Am I right or am I right?! I’ve come to realize this more and more with each holiday that passes… some have been fabulous, and action packed, others have been disastrous… but, if I’m honest, regardless of how smoothly our trips have gone (or not!), I often return weary and a little worn out.
It's why I’ve also opted for resort style holidays - believing that room service, having my bed made each morning, not having to clean or do laundry and having food + drinks served whenever the moment strikes, is basically my idea of heaven. So, embarking on a 6 week journey in our new caravan did not exactly fill me with confidence that I would return ready to take on 2025 with gusto. I was excited, yes. I was ALL IN on our big adventure, of course. But did I think I would return energized? No.
To be clear, there was very little time to sit down, read, relax and ponder. There was always something to do – dishes, fix the router for the 11 hundredth time, pack up, pack down, wash clothes, make beds, do the kids sunscreen, vacuum the sand (oh the sand!), pack the beach bag, unpack the beach bag… I’m sure you get the picture. But even, with all of this, I can’t say I’ve returned from a holiday feeling as inspired, reset and motivated as I do now. I’ve been contemplating how this could be? And I’ve got a few thoughts.
1. Even when resort-style holidaying, I am the worst at limiting my screen time. If Chris is in the pool with the kids, I’m on my phone scrolling. I’m scrolling in the hotel room at night. I’m scrolling at breakfast, in taxis, wherever I can catch a moment. Compare this to our recent holiday and while I was still partial to a mindless scroll or email check, I had my phone away significantly more of the time. There was terrible reception across many of long drives, the beach was way too glary to even enjoy looking at my phone, and I was too busy swimming, playing, fishing or chatting with friends and family to even bother looking at it. It’s not as if I didn’t know this in theory, but the addiction runs deep. It was utterly refreshing.
2. We were up with the sun and down with the sun… Even in QLD, where you can find yourself sunburnt by 6am in the morning if you’re not careful! I’ve always been a night owl but living out of a caravan meant we slowly adjusted to the natural rhythms of the day. I’d find myself ready to hop into bed by 8.30 most nights and something about a day in the sun and sea certainly helped with getting off to sleep without a worry. I haven’t slept so well in a long time, and I think it went a long way to recovering from that ever-growing sleep debt – thanks to my 3 lovely (and wakeful) children, the woes of running a business and a side of chronic pain to contend with.
3. 95% of our days and evenings were spent outside. We sat outside, played outside, walked and swam and read outside, cooked outside, and ate our meals outside. Might sound little but I’ve been reflecting on just how much of regular life is spent inside, in the office, the car, the home. And while I have a lotta love for my workplace and home, I also realize that being in the fresh air is energizing.
4. There was absolutely no shortage of novelty and, for someone that can get bored easily, that’s such a gift. We stayed in 12 different places along the east coast, some for 1 night, others for 10 nights and I loved that sense of adventure and anticipation. We’d never been to any of the caravan parks before or most the towns for that matter, so arriving into the main street for the first time and seeing what each town has to offer was very cool. Sure not all our destinations knocked our socks off but plenty did and being bored simply never entered the equation.
5. There were moments of awe each and every day. Now this is something I thrive on and I’m always trying to create a life that’s awe-inspiring. This doesn’t always mean elaborate experiences, sometimes it’s simple moments like watching the warm glow of the sun on the gumtrees in the evenings, or a scene from our photo shoot that gives me a moment of absolute delight. It particularly struck me on this holiday, how many times I felt that pang of awe, whether it be from:
- Observing how our three kids got closer and closer, often watching out for each other. Our 2 year old’s vocab also exploded during this time. It was if she learnt hundreds of words all at once and was in such a hurry to get them all out that we got to hear some wonderfully cute interpretations of her take on the world.
- Marveling at just how breathtaking Australia is! Do you know how incredible this country is? Some standout moments were the drive from Windeyer to Lithgow (think we spotted 12 different animals along the way!), the coastline of Hawks Nest, the lake at Currimundi, the scenery of Mallacoota, and the crystal-clear water at Wategos. To think we barely even scratched the surface.
- I’m an avid browser and shopper so it’s a beautiful thing when I stumble across an artist, brand, author or creator that does things that little bit differently. Some particular faves I discovered on this trip:
o Mechanics Warehouse in Pambula. I’d pretty much do the 14 hr round trip just to get back there asap. A thoughtfully curated store that is a melting pot of creativity. This got me excited for bricks and mortar again!
o Author John Boyne – I popped into the Village Book Shop in Noosa with a pretty clear agenda… find me a book that will captivate me within minutes (as I’ve sort of lost my way with reading recently). I started with Water, before hunting down Earth and Fire, with Air on pre-order. This is why we all need to support local book stores… their recommendations are often spot on.
o I slipped my foot into a pair of VIBAe shoes and never wanted to take them off. The Roma leather in Cognac Brown along with the Shearling style are a dream to wear… it’s hard to get across just how GOOD they feel on.
o While picking my jaw up off the floor of Mechanics Warehouse, I fell particularly hard for the creations of Madeleine Meyer and bought not one but two of her amazing pieces (which you’ll also see in our upcoming photo shoot imagery).
o It would seem unusual to get excited about something as utilitarian as a toolbox but hey… I am! While browsing Yum Yum Angourie General Store I came across Toyo Steel toolboxes and just thought wow they’re cool and ultra-practical. If your kids are anything like my three bowerbirds, these are just perfect. So many sizes and awesome colours to choose from.
o I became mesmerized by the sculptural jewels of Trovelore. With great difficulty, I chose just one – a honey bee – but suspect it’s the beginning of a magical collection. We may even need to start stocking some! The perfect fusion of sculpture, jewellery and artistry.
So that’s my little wrap up… I’m excited to put a few of the learnings from this trip into my everyday life at home. And, as always, we’re busy creating our own little moments of magic at Sage x Clare. We’ve had plenty of production and logistics hurdles over the last several months but echoing the previous sentiment of my last love notes, I expect the upending effort will be worth it. I am so very excited to share it all with you soon.
In the meantime, I’ll keep discovering and sharing what lights me up in the hopes it just might light you up too. I hope it’s obvious, but I’ll say it anyway, all of the above is shared from the heart (no kickbacks or affiliate links here!).
Stay inspired and beaming with a whole lotta love,
P x